The memory of the First World War in Britain is closely linked with the poetry of the era. When we read such poems, we assess them both as works of art and as historical documents. We can detect a populist trend in the poetry of the Great War, whose emblematic text is John McCrae’s “In Flanders Fields”, which was extremely popular in those years. On the other hand, the best war poets introduced such innovations in poetry that largely determined the later history of 20th-century British literature. Their major aim was to open people’s eyes to the horror which they were unable to imagine. I attempt to demonstrate this tendency through some examples.

The memory of the First World War in Britain is closely linked with the poetry of the era. When we read such poems, we assess them both as works of art and as historical documents. We can detect a populist trend in the poetry of the Great War, whose emblematic text is John McCrae’s “In Flanders Fields”, which was extremely popular in those years. On the other hand, the best war poets introduced such innovations in poetry that largely determined the later history of 20th-century British literature. Their major aim was to open people’s eyes to the horror which they were unable to imagine. I attempt to demonstrate this tendency through some examples.